Conventional light emitting diode (LED) packages include a specialized, moldable plastic housing having a separate transparent cover exhibiting specific optical properties. Generally, these LED packages are designed exclusively for direct surface mount technology (SMT) connection to a printed wire board (PWB). However, because conventional packages require a special, molded plastic housing (i.e., liquid crystal polymer) and optical element, the packages are not well suited for multi-die arrays that may be easily, quickly, and inexpensively modified to suit a particular lighting application.
Another fabrication and design challenge faced by high-temperature operation LED packages is the need to effectively manage the heat generated by the array of LEDs. Traditionally, to deal with heat management issues, conventional LED packages include a large, homogeneous metal carrier or heat sink, which spans the entire bottom of the LED package. The metal carrier is generally composed of a relatively expensive material (e.g., molybdenum copper), adding significant cost to the fabrication of the LED package. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved light emitting package adapted for high temperature operation in a variety of lighting applications.